


Undeniable: The Terrier and the Piper

by LadyofAvalon



Category: Provost's Dog - Tamora Pierce
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-09
Updated: 2012-06-09
Packaged: 2017-11-07 09:18:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/429391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyofAvalon/pseuds/LadyofAvalon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't something Beka Cooper could deny: she was in love with Rosto the Piper, and he with her.  One hundred themes on Beka and Rosto.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Undeniable: The Terrier and the Piper

**Red**

Beka's eyes were red from crying. All of the family that she'd ever had was gone. They'd shunned her because she'd chosen Rosto. She was hurting, but, even crying, Rosto thought she looked beautiful.

**Grey**

"You've a grey hair, Rosto," Beka told him one morning at breakfast. He frowned at her and scrambled back upstairs to look in the mirror. He came back down a few moments later, looking annoyed. "I do not."

**White**

The day that Rosto found his first white hair was an interesting day. He threw a fit the moment that he noticed it. Everyone in the house but Beka fled. It was she who comforted him and assured him that he was not old.

**Black**

His eyes were as black as night, and always full of mischief. That was one of the things that Beka said that she loved about him. The other was his not-so-black heart.

**Blue**

In turn, Rosto loved her unusual blue eyes. The only blue things that he didn't like on her were the bruises she frequently returned from Watch with, and the blue of her lips when she came back from Watch in a blizzard.

**Purple**

Purple eyes watched them during breakfast. Pounce, constellation cat, though he was, had been sent for more than one reason. One of his own reasons was to make sure that his Terrier was happy.

**Brown**

A squeal cut through the air on a rainy day. It was followed by the splat of something wet hitting bare skin. Rosto the Piper glared at Beka. He scraped the mud off of his face and lobbed it at her. She squealed again as the brown glob hit her.

**Green**

Beka twirled the green stem of the flower that she'd found tacked to her door. It was a tiger lily, her favorite. It was a sweet gift that Rosto had given to her – for it could only have been Rosto. No one else knew that she liked tiger lilies.

**Pink**

Rosto loved the way she flushed when he flirted with her. From then on, it was his goal to see how much pink he could get to color her cheeks. His flirtations never went to far, but they always brought that color to her face.

**Colorless**

She hated the way his face was colorless as he grimaced in pain. The one day that there were no healers in the Lower City, he's had to get injured. "I'm alright, Beka," he told her, a pained smile on his face.

"You had better be, you great looby!"

**Beginnings**

At the beginning of their friendship, Beka and Rosto never would have thought that they would end up as they had – in love. In a way, it was a new beginning for them, and a better one.

**Middles**

A brawl at the Dancing Dove was always a fierce one. Being the headquarters of the Court of the Rogue just made it nasty sometimes. As Beka ducked a knife, and Rosto slashed at a rusher who was overly-drunk, a lasso looped around them and jerked them together. Beka flushed and Rosto grinned. Something interesting always happened in the middle of the night.

**Ends**

They always said that the ends justified the means in the Court of the Rogue. Rosto wasn't particularly inclined to believe in that, much to Beka's relief. She knew how bad things could be if the Rogue himself believed that they could do whatever they wanted, as long as it would get a good outcome.

**First**

The first time Rosto kissed her was right after she had figured out that he had become the Rogue. To Beka's surprise, she actually liked it, despite wanting to slug him.

**Last**

Beka was almost glad that she hadn't been at Rosto's last duel. Almost. A tearful Aniki had come running to find her on Watch to tell her what happened. She was almost glad that she didn't have to see his lifeless body, but only almost. The only thing she regretted was not being able to see him one last time…

**Hours**

When he didn't come home on time one night, Beka was up for hours. There was no way she could sleep not knowing if Rosto was alright or not.

**Days**

Beka hated Court days. She was better about verbally reporting to the Magistrate, but she still hated them all the same. The only good thing was that she and Rosto got to spend more time together afterward.

**Weeks**

It had been weeks since Beka had spoken to him. No matter how many times he apologized, all he got was silence. He didn't know how much more he could take. It wasn't his fault that a bunch of Rats had attacked her in his name! They weren't even his sworn people!

**Months**

In the months during the Elkhound incident, they missed each other terribly. It was during that stretch that people began to realize how much they needed Beka. Rosto knew far too well how much he alone needed her. Without Beka, there was less and less to bring him back from being the Rogue…

**Years**

Beka and Rosto were happy for many years before he lost his life in a duel for his throne. They had thought that they would have many more ahead of them, but neither of them had counted on a challenger who could actually beat Rosto. No one had.

**Friends**

They were just friends. Weren't they? Beka wondered that frequently as their relationship drew them closer and closer. They could never be more than just friends, could they?

**Enemies**

Both Beka and Rosto had enemies. They knew how hard it was. They also hoped that they would never be forced to see each other as enemies, because, when it all came down to it, they knew they would kill each other if they had to.

Being on opposite sides of the law was hard, and it meant just that: one day, they would have to see each other as enemies.

**Lovers**

All the tales of star-crossed lovers ended in some sort of tragedy. They all said that couples like that were never meant to be. Somehow, Beka and Rosto were determined to prove that wrong.

**Family**

Family was something important to Beka. After she had made her choice clear, Diona and Lady Teodorie had turned their backs on her. She wasn't even allowed to see her siblings, and she wasn't allowed at the Provost's house but to talk to him. She was hurting and it was up to Rosto to show her that he, Kora, Ersken, Aniki and Phelan were just as much her family as her brothers and sisters, if not more.

**Strangers**

It was hard for Beka and Rosto to think that once upon a time, they had been strangers, and that he had once tried to bribe her. Thinking about the later part generally brought the line 'she's shy, cabbage head, not stupid' to Beka's mind.

**T** **eammates**

During the Spring Games in Corus, Beka and Rosto teamed up in the hand-to-hand competitions. They beat all the other teams. Everyone was talking about how good a team the Terrier and the Rogue were. It was too bad that they were on opposite sides of the law.

**Parents**

Beka and Rosto seemed to have a problem about parents. Beka's were dead and Rosto's were in Scanra. Well, it wasn't like he really wanted her to meet his parents, since they weren't too happy with their son's choice of occupation. The two just hoped that they could manage to be good parents.

**Children**

Rosto watched as Beka was tackled by the children who idolized her. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. 'Help me,' she mouthed as the mountain of children began to force her to the ground. Rosto just grinned and watched as his love was swallows beneath all of the squalling youngsters.

**Birth**

When the time came for the birth of their first child, neither Beka nor Rosto was sure that they were entirely ready for it. But, it wasn't like they had a choice at that point.

**Death**

Beka had known for a long time that death hung over both of them as a constant threat. It wasn't something that she had thought about regularly, and she had most definitely never thought that he would be the one to die first. Rosto wasn't supposed to be able to be beaten.

**Sunrise**

They were rarely up early enough to see the sunrise, but the first time they were, they were both amazed at how beautiful it was. Rosto couldn't help leaning over to her and whispering in her ear.

"There is only one thing I can think of that is more beautiful than this," he told her. When she gave him a questioning look, he continued. "You, Beka. You are my sunrise…"

**Sunset**

The sun sank into the horizon. A lone figure watched it, her face sad. She had been separated from her lover for years, and it tormented her. She didn't know that it was her last day in the Mortal Realms. She had long awaited that day, when she would be reunited with her Piper. There was more than one kind of sunset in Rebakah Cooper's life.

**Too Much**

Rosto threw himself in the way of a dagger meant for her during a riverfront brawl. When the fight was over, Beka was the one who dragged him to a healer, despite his protests of being fine. When he complained later, she just laughed and promptly told him "You care too much."

**Not Enough**

At first, it wasn't enough for Goodwin that Beka and Rosto loved each other. She just wasn't happy that her friend was spending so much time with the Rogue. Eventually, though, she did come to accept it, much to Beka's pleasure.

**Music**

Beka's voice was music to his ears. More so than even the songs he played on his pipes. His hope was that he would continue to hear her voice until the day he died.

**Smell**

She woke to the smell of apple fritters filling the room. A glance at her desk showed her all she needed to know. Rosto was sitting, leaned back in the chair, grinning roguishly at her. Sitting on the desk was a small basket – that was where the smell was coming from, undoubtedly. She couldn't help grinning back at him.

**Sound**

There was one sound that they came to hate above all others – the sound was that of pigeons insisting on trying to get into the room at an unreasonable hour. Rosto was starting to hate pigeons, and, though she found them useful, Beka was beginning to agree with him.

**Touch**

Every time Rosto touched her, whether it was just a brush of his hand on hers or a kiss, a shiver ran down her spine and she flushed. She couldn't help it for the longest time, even after their relationship was established.

**Taste**

Pigeon feathers did not taste good. Beka and Rosto had found that out the hard way one of the days Beka had neglected to open the shutters. Pigeons had burst into the room, scattering feathers all over Rosto in particular, who had been sitting on the bed. He was not pleased.

**Sight**

One of the things Beka would have hated to lose was her sight. She loved being able to see, and she couldn't be a Dog if she couldn't see. And then, she would also be deprived of the sight of Rosto in the morning, with his hair down and his toned chest bare.

**Shapes**

Rosto missed Beka fiercely when she was in Port Caynn. The last glance he had of her was of the two shapes in the distance as she and Goodwin rode away. Many times, he wondered if that sight was enough to keep him going.

**Triangle**

On Beka's first day as a second year Dog, one of the new Puppies hit on her. He just didn't know that she was with the Rogue. Rosto was not pleased. That was the last time he hit on fellow Dog, after a rusher delivered a note that said 'triangles in emotions are not good for you. Stay away from Beka Cooper. Elsewise, you may find out the hard way about triangles and dagger tips.'

**Square**

Beka watched him square off with a challenger. Every time she watched one of his duels, she feared for his life. She had good reason to do so: the life of the Rogue was a dangerous one. Still, all the worry was worth it when he came back alive.

**Circle**

_One thing about a ring,_ Beka thought to herself, examining the one Rosto had given her, _is that it never ends. It's unbroken; and goes on forever…_

**Moon**

Watching the moon was a favorite pastime of Beka and Rosto's. When they were separated by distance, they would look up, and hope that the other was looking up at the same moon.

**King**

Rosto was a king. Not a noble one, but a king all the same. He held himself like one, and acted like one. He was the King of the Rogue, and (much to his pleasure) the king of Beka's heart.

**Heart**

Beka had stolen Rosto's heart the moment he'd met her. It just took him a while to realize it. He was in love with the shy but feisty Puppy, and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

**Diamond**

When Rosto had come to Corus, the charm on his earring had been a silver skull. Eventually, the skull disappeared, to be replaced by a small blue diamond that just happened to be the exact color of Beka's eyes. It was just a small sign of the change she'd wrought in him.

**Queen**

If she'd been a rogue instead of a Dog, Beka would have been Queen of the Ladies of the Rogue, maybe even the Queen of the Rogue, ruling with Rosto, or holding the throne in her own right. She didn't mind though. She liked being a Dog better, and who was to know if their love would still have existed if she hadn't become a Dog?

**Joker**

Neither of them was really a joker, but of the two, Rosto was known to be the one who loved to play pranks on his housemates when the opportunity presented itself. That, and he had to have a really good prank. After he started pranking everyone in the house (mind you, he wasn't the one who actually started it. Phelan had dropped paint over the rail onto him several weeks before.), things began to get out of hand. Then he got himself burned by Kora again. When he came downstairs a little singed, he just pointed to his friends and said 'Not a word' before disappearing once more. None of them could help but laugh, Beka most of all.

**Water**

Rosto had a problem with large bodies of water. He rarely, if ever, went swimming when he was close to a lake, river, or the ocean. That is, until Beka dragged him into the Olorun with her when she fell in. After that, he couldn't say that he liked it, but he wasn't nearly as reluctant to go swimming with her anymore.

**Fire**

Every time Beka walked into the Dove while the Court of the Rogue was being held, her eyes were drawn to the throne. She couldn't help sneaking peaks at the King of the Rogue. The way he looked in the light of the fire was startling, whether he was being the Piper or the Rogue. Handsome as the sunrise, even by firelight. Especially by firelight.

**Earth**

Beka was the one to bring him back to earth when he had his head in the clouds, thinking about his newest plan. Whether it was for his Court, or to surprise her, he somehow found himself distracted at one of the crucial planning points. _At least,_ he thought, _it's a good kind of distracted…_

**Air**

Beka was not like any other mot Rosto had ever been with. It wasn't only things like her shyness or her Gift; it was more because of her lawfulness. She was a Dog, who held up the law, and yet, she loved him, and was willing to accept him for the person he was, instead of just for his power or looks (though, she would admit that he was handsome). She was just different from any of the others. For him, that was like a breath of fresh air – it was better than anything else in his world.

**Spirit**

For years after his sudden – and tragic – death, Beka would sometimes feel as if she had a guardian angel watching over her. There were instances when she could almost feel him there with her – whisper soft touch she felt on her cheek when no one was around, the melody of pipes on the breeze when the wind did not blow. The part that really made her think that was the quiet voice in her ear that whispered 'I love you' when she was alone. Every once in a while, she would think she saw his standing there, wearing his most roguish smile, watching her and waiting. That alone was enough to make her happy. It was all she needed.

**Breakfast**

It had long since been a tradition to gather in Beka's room for breakfast by the time Rosto had started construction on his inn. For a while, they had watched the two as they ate, wondering what was going on between the Rogue and his Terrier. Then there was the day that they were all kicked out. From then on, they ate breakfast downstairs.

**Lunch**

When she was sick in bed with a cold and a fever, she couldn't help but notice that Rosto stopped by frequently to see her, despite the fact that it was a long way out of his way to do so. He was even thoughtful enough to bring her a bowl of soup when she was starting to get hungry. She checked outside her door that night to find him sleeping out there. He was far too thoughtful.

**Dinner**

Beka had been extremely surprise to walk into the boarding house several weeks after that to find a candlelight dinner for two awaiting her. Rosto appeared out of the shadows a moment later. She couldn't help but grin at him. How he had managed to know that she hadn't had dinner yet astounded her, but then, he was Rosto, after all.

**Food**

Every word he said that night was food for thought, whether it really was something that had a hidden meaning or not. Beka couldn't help but wonder what had made him do that for her. One look at his face told her all she needed to know, when she caught him watching her with a look of unmatched caring.

**Drink**

When Rosto finally won her over, all he could do was drink in the moment, the sweetness of the kiss, the feel of her touch on his skin. It all felt right, unlike anything else he had ever felt. He really did love her.

**Winter**

"Rosto." He glanced over at her when she said his name.

"What?" The way she was glaring at him over a report, he was sure that he had done something wrong.

"Stop that." He sighed, realizing that she meant that she wanted him to stop flipping the coin in his hand and letting it hit the table. He put the coin down with a plunk. She continued to glare at him until he shook his head.

"Oh, don't give me that look. It ain't winter yet, and we certainly don't need ice." Said ice disappeared when he got up and planted a kiss on her lips.

**Spring**

That night, Beka found it absolutely hilarious that she walked in on Rosto when he'd fallen asleep reading a book in bed. His reaction to the sudden noise she made was to jerk awake, throw himself out of bed, and slip into a fighting position, ready to spring in need be. When he saw her, he instantly relaxed, though he did give her a slightly annoyed look as he sat back down on the bed and picked up the book he had been reading. Beka just smirked at him before joining him and reading over his shoulder.

**Summer**

Since it was summer in Corus, it was hot and blazing in the Lower City. It was only Rosto's second summer in Tortall, and he still wasn't used to it, even when it was halfway through the summer months. He'd taken to leaving his shirt mostly unbuttoned in an attempt to combat the heat.

Rosto had to admit that he was rather pleased with some of the results of doing so. For one thing, Beka blushed every time she caught sight of him. He loved making her blush like that…

**Fall**

Ironically, it was the following autumn when Rosto somehow managed to fall down the stairs (no one was quiet sure exactly how it had happened, not even Rosto himself). He broke his ankle, and the healer had made his housemates confine him to bed for two weeks while it continued to heal after she had done her best. Rosto was not pleased, until Beka came by with dinner for the two of them. She had even made sure it was his favorite. He couldn't help wondering if breaking his ankle was a good thing.

**Passing**

It was around that time when the people of the Lower City found out how involved the Rogue and the Terrier were. Some just turned their heads and didn't care, some quite resented it, and others even said that it was just a passing fancy for the two. Those who thought so eventually found that they were wrong. It wasn't just a passing fancy for either Beka or Rosto.

**Rain**

It was rainy in the Lower City for most of that autumn. Beka liked it for the most part, as long as she didn't have to go out in it. That was just a pain. What she really liked was when Rosto would come up behind her and wrap his arms around her and whisper 'I love you' in her ear. They watched the rain for hours after that.

**Snow**

And then it started snowing. That was most annoying for Beka, even if Rosto didn't mind. That is, until he walked out of the lodging house and had a huge pile of snow fall on top of him. Brushing as much as he could off, he looked up to see Beka's dark blond head disappearing back into the building, a grin plastered on her face.

**Lightning**

With his usual lightning-fast speed, Rosto stooped to pick up some snow, darting back into the building. There was no way Beka was going to get away with that. He had snow down the back of his shirt now. When he managed to get up the steps and into the shadows between his own doorway and the stairway, he stopped and waited.

He watched Beka very carefully pick her way down the stairs, her eyes alert. Somehow, she didn't see him and proceeded past the landing. Rosto sprang then, making sure that she received the same as she had caused him – cold, wet snow down her shirt. Her shriek was cut off when she whirled, slipped, and fell straight into his arms and a waiting kiss.

**Thunder**

A loud crack outside jerked Rosto from a sound sleep. When he glanced at the closed window, he saw another flash of lightning, and the crash of thunder seconds after. He made a disgusted noise, to the now awake Beka's amusement. Rosto was did not like thunder, but the kiss he got from Beka was worth being woken up pointlessly for.

**Storm**

Beka never envied Rosto the Rogue – he dealt with so many cracknobs, and had to act the part of a cruel heartless man when his friends knew he wasn't. Rosto was kind, friendly, and (when alone with Beka) loving, even if he was still a rusher. When he was the Rogue, he indeed had to be harsh and cold, and it scared her stiff at times. She did not envy the storm in his mind and heart when he was acting at the Rogue…

**Broken**

Before she let him in, Beka never gave Rosto a chance because she was afraid of a broken heart, not just the fact that he was a rusher. After, though, Beka couldn't help but wonder how she had ever thought that he would break her heart.

**Fixed**

After they had been together for a while, Beka began to notice that Rosto had a couple of rather strange fixations. Well, one of them was strange. One was surprising her with presents on days he considered special (or randomly every few days if he felt like it), the other was his vanity…

**Shattered**

When Rosto almost lost a duel for the Rogue (coming extremely close to getting his throat cut in the process), Beka's faith in him was shattered. He couldn't count how many times he had to apologize before Beka forgave him for scaring her like that.

**Rebirth**

When she finally did forgive him, there were no words to describe how joyful he felt. To that point, it was during the time the Court of the Rogue was in session on her day off.

The collective gasp that filled the Dancing Dove when his rushers saw the Rogue kissing a Dog was rather funny. Beka and Rosto had broken their kiss just in time to see Bold Brian fall off his chair, too.

**Paralysis**

Less than a week later, Rosto understood exactly how Beka had felt during his duel. A deep sense of paralysis spread over him when he saw Tunstall carrying Beka's limp form into the Dove after Watch had ended. This time, he was going to burn the Barrel's Bottom down. This was not going to happen again.

**Disease**

As Beka thought back, it occurred to her that once, before she had met Rosto and Aniki, she had considered rushers to be scum. To her, because of the two who had lived with her mother, they had seemed like the disease of the Lower City. She knew that Rosto, at least, was glad that she had changed her mind.

**Agony**

It was just like Rosto to go after Beka when she didn't come home from Watch one night. He knew exactly what had happened – ever since their relationship had been revealed, those who wished to bring him down had begun to use Beka against him. He hated putting her in that much danger all the time. But every bit of physical and emotional agony he went through that night was worth it when he got her back.

**Healing**

The resultant healing wasn't exactly a pleasant thing. As soon as she could, Beka cuffed him upside the head and chastised him for nearly getting himself doused (again) on her account.

**Blind**

Even after everyone knew about Beka and Rosto, half of the people in the Lower City turned a blind eye when they caught the Rogue kissing the Terrier (or vise-versa). He was a better man when she was around, and nothing stopped her from catching her Rats. It seemed like a fair price to them – all they had to do was ignore the young couple.

**Deaf**

One could say that Rosto was annoyed after an incident in the Rogue resulted in one of his district chiefs accidentally (or maybe not so accidentally) setting off an explosion near where the young Scanran had been standing. The result of was that he was practically deaf for four days after that. Hence, he was not pleased with being stuck upstairs most of the time. He was pleased, though, that he got to spend more time with Beka.

**Dark**

She could always see the darkness in Rosto, the darkness that the Rogue created. Even when they were alone, and he was happy, the darkness still touched him somehow. Whether it was in the lines that appeared on his face, or in something in his eyes when he spoke of the Rogue, she could always see the shadows. That was shy she took it upon herself to dispel some of that darkness.

**Light**

Beka was his light. It was so simple. To him, she was the greatest light in the world. She was a Dog; she caught the Rats who did wrong, and yet, she loved him, the Thief-King. Without Beka, Rosto's world would be dark and cold. With her, though, he was happy, there was no darkness that scarred him when he had her.

**Lost**

When she came home one night with a line of bruises above her gorget where someone had tried to cut her throat, Rosto really lost it. The ensuing argument over Beka being a Dog resulted in both being absolutely furious with the other.

**Found**

After about two weeks of refusing to speak to each other, Beka and Rosto were both having a hard time keeping it up. Both of them were lonely, and both were in horrible moods about the whole thing. They had found that they couldn't live without each other, for all their faults and stubbornness.

**Missing**

Without Rosto in her life, there was something missing. Whenever another cove tried to kiss her, Beka could tell that there was something different. There was no spark, no passion like there was in Rosto's kisses. It seemed that Beka Cooper and Rosto the Piper were meant to be together… No matter what happened…

**Choices**

It still amazed Beka sometimes that Rosto had chosen her of all people. He had his choice of any doxy in the whole City, many of which she considered to be far more beautiful than herself. Yet, despite that, and every reason he shouldn't, he loved her anyway.

**Life**

Through their life together, they had seen many things; they had done things that most people thought was stupid or ridiculous, or even reckless. Nobody who knew them could say that life with the Rogue and the Terrier was dull…

**He**

He was dead. Not quiet literally, but Beka was mad enough to make him wish he was. He was going to be sleeping alone for at least a week for this!

**She**

Even when she was angry with him, every time Rosto looked at Beka, he remembered something his mother had told him. She had said that he would know who he was meant to spend his life with when he saw her. Every time he looked at Beka, he saw that she was the one.

**It**

Beka couldn't help laughing at the ridiculous look of (almost mock) shock and outrage on Rosto's face when Ersken called Rosto's flute an 'it' instead of a 'she.' Rosto was so finicky sometimes that it was funny. Not to mention, Beka loved being able to tease him.

**Birthday**

There was a time when Rosto didn't want to be reminded that it was his birthday. He hated the idea that he was getting older, as young and vain as he was. Unfortunately for him, Beka had other plans – ones that involved a surprise party with their friends…

**Midwinter**

Midwinter was a stressful time for both of them – Beka and her partner were having a hard time keeping up with all of the Rats, and Rosto was getting at least one challenge a day. It was hard work for them, but somehow, they still managed to find time to spend together.

**Solstice**

Both of the Solstices had festivals in Tortall. The Midsummer festival was more of a fair, while Midwinter was truly a festival. Even the Court of the Rogue and the Dogs were involved in the festivals. It was mysterious to them, though, that the King of the Rogue and the Terrier both skipped out on duty those days.

**New Year**

The New Year was always irritating for Rosto, and equally so for Beka. Not only did Rosto spend most of his time with challenges, but the other Rats went crazy half the time. On top of that, there was Midwinter and Rosto's birthday…

Without each other, they were sure they would have gone insane trying to deal with all of it. But, that was one reason why they loved each other so much – they kept each other sane.

**Undeniable**

Every time Rosto had stolen a kiss from her (as he always thought it suitable to do, even when she was in the middle of something) before, Beka had tried to deny that she had any feelings for the Piper. And every time, she failed miserably. Some things were just undeniable, and they were one of them…

**Terrier**

The Terrier was a hard person to deal with for most people, even the older Dogs. Always on edge, always ready to give chase to the Rats. There was only one Rat who wished to be chased, and it was he who dubbed her the Queen of Rat Catchers. She was the only one who could catch the Rat-King, the man she loved. That was why he had dubbed her his queen.

**Rogue**

Many people thought that the King of the Rogue was a strange man when they saw him daring the Terrier to chase him through the streets of her City. She never caught him on that chase – instead, he caught her.

**Piper**

Folk often said that there was a legend of a man who could get anyone to dance to his tune, that he had once led the children from a village far off into the wilderness where they were never seen again. Beka had never believed those stories until she met Rosto. He was the Piper, the one who reminded her so much of all the legends. He was her Piper, and she was the only one he allowed to dance to his tune…

**Beka**

Beka always knew exactly what to say to get Rosto riled up. He hated it when she teased him about his appearance. He was a vain man, after all. Still, he loved it when she teased him. He loved it even more that she was his and his alone.

**Rosto**

To many people, Rosto the Piper was a complete mystery. Why the young Scanran had even come to Tortall in the first place confused many people. But Beka, Beka knew. He had come because he knew that there was something important for him to find there: her.


End file.
